Purple eyeshadow is probably the hardest to get right, but when you make it work it is gorgeous. The royal color can make you look creative and daring or it can make you look ill, so it must be approached thoughtfully. By choosing the right shade of purple, and applying it with a few tips and tricks in mind, you can create something truly stunning. Below, we have added some general purple eyeshadow application tips and tricks, along with a list of inspiring purple eyeshadow looks.
Purple Eyeshadow Application Tips
- Get in the habit of always laying down a base before putting on some eyeshadow, especially if we’re talking about powder. A base will prevent creasing and will ensure that your eyeshadow goes on with maximum vibrancy. Eyeshadow primer is best, of course, but cream purple eyeshadows can work really nicely too. In a pinch, a concealer will also do the trick.
- Do note that how dark or light your base is will influence the eyeshadow. A white cream primer will make eyeshadows brighter, whereas layering purple eyeshadow over black cream eyeliner will look pretty dark and intense.
- Use your makeup brushes cleverly! Packing on purple so that it looks intense is all about that stippling effect. For maximum opacity, pick up the color with your finger or a damp brush and then tap it on the skin to deposit the color. Only blend out the edges lest you end up with a muddy tone.
- I talk about smokey eyes a lot, but the truth is that it’s better to break with tradition and keep the edges sharp with darker purple eyeshadow. You can do this by applying your eyeshadow with angled tape along the outer corner of the eye acting as a guide, or you can use a makeup wipe to sharpen the edges when you’re done. This will give your purple eye makeup a very intentional look, and it’ll prevent you from looking like you have a bruised eye.
- Another tip to avoiding the dreaded “black eye” look is by opting for a cut crease, especially if you like your outer corner more smoked out. There are a few ways to do a cut crease, but they all rely on carving out a really clear separation between the lid (especially the inner half of the lid, which can be a half-cut crease) and the crease with the help of a cream product. This gives that same sharpness and intention to your purple eye makeup look.
Purple Eye Makeup Ideas
The looks you can create with purple eyeshadow are truly endless, but we jumpstart your creativity with a few fun ideas you can try.
- To start things off, it’s always good to master the classic purple eye, with shades of purple in either the warm or cool family. Wear a medium-light color on the lid, get darker in the crease, darkest in the outer corner, and keep things highlighted in the inner corner and under the brow bone.
- A purple smokey eye can be really pretty, but avoid blending it out too much or too far out. Choose a purple eyeshadow that is two or three shades darker than your skin tone, pack it on over the lid and lightly blend it out into the crease. Marry it under the lower lash line, as well. If it’s looking a little bruised, sharpen the line in the outer corner as described in the previous section.
- A single shadow look with a vibrant medium purple or lilac eyeshadow can be very fetching, especially combined with a nude lip and berry-toned blush. Pack the shadow on over the lid, and let it fade a bit into the crease. It’s a quick and easy look!
- Be aware that for any looks that rely heavily on colors in the purple family, it’s usually best to match the undertone of the lipstick and blush to your eyeshadow. This means choosing purple, pink or berry tones for the lips, and pink or berry tones for the cheeks.
- You can occasionally break the rules and intentionally choose a warm tone for both lipstick and blush. This will clash, but that in and of itself can make for an interesting fashion look.
- A halo eye in purple can be really gorgeous. Use a deep purple in the outer corner, crease, and inner corner, and then have a brighter shimmery lavender or even a gold in the center of the lid. The effect is sultry but still keeps the eyes look wide.
- Consider combining warm and cool purple eyeshadow tones. There are a few great ways to do it – you can do cool purple shadow on the lid and a warm tone for the underliner or vice versa.
- Another great look is to use a cool shadow on the lid and a warm shadow in the crease – note that it works best if both shadows are about a shade or two darker than your skin tone.
- Try an analogue color scheme that includes purple! If you’re keeping it cool, choose indigo purple eyeshadow along with light blue and teal. If warm suits your coloring better, try a combination of lilac, reddish-plum, and pink.
- Purple eyeshadows are a very important part of sunset eyes. You can lay out the colors in a variety of different ways, but the important tones are purple, peach, orange, and indigo. Sunset eyes look fabulous on all skin tones since they include both warm and cool tones.
- Gold and purple eyeshadow is a beautiful and timeless combination that will allow you to wear warmer cheek and lip colors along with purple on the eyes.
Photos via @kmbrlee_beyoutiful, Instagram
